The Rising of Nigeria’s Tennis Player, Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre in Today’s “Doing Life With…”

Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and… everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN.

Did you miss the last conversation with Rach Idowu? You can catch up here. 

This week, we’re doing life with Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre, a Nigerian tennis player and currently the highest-ranked Nigerian in the WTA women’s singles category. In 2018, she was ranked number one in Nigeria, ninth in Africa and No. 945 in singles. Enjoy the conversation!

Hey Barakat. How do you do?

Hello, I am doing great. Thank you.

Great! Can you give me a peep into what influenced who you are today?

I come from a tennis family where everyone except my mum plays tennis.  My siblings played tennis professionally and due to the huge age gap between us and my admiration for them, tennis quickly became something I dream about daily.

So I can say tennis runs in the blood?

You can say. I got introduced to tennis when I started showing up at my sister’s practice sessions. I was attached to her and would go everywhere with her, including the tennis court. I started playing tennis at the age of 4 and basically haven’t stopped ever since. It was difficult to manage playing tennis, going to school and also having a social life as a kid but we were able to work it out until I turned 12 when I officially moved to Morocco.

How would you describe your journey from being an aspiring player to becoming a professional athlete?

My journey has been nothing short of interesting. Like every other person I have had ups and downs but most importantly it was something I wouldn’t want to trade for anything else. The most difficult thing I have had to sacrifice in this transition would have to be time with family; I have missed a lot of milestones, celebrations and important moments in my family due to being a professional athlete. I have lived that life since I was 12 years old and I can’t tell you that it gets easier because it doesn’t.

Who do you play for now?

Right now, I play college tennis at FIU (Florida International University) which is in Miami, Florida.

Oh good. Looking back on your career so far, what moment are you most proud of?

I would say winning all the national tournaments at the age of 15, I was very proud of myself because those were the tournaments I grew up watching and being able to complete the Nigerian slam which was about 5 national tournaments and also winning the national festival hosted in Abuja. That moment was a standout moment for me because winning at home always holds something special.

I agree. Can you tell me about a match or tournament that was particularly memorable for you?

My most memorable set of tournaments would have to be in Togo and Benin where I played my first International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior tournament and won the singles title in all three weeks at the age of 13. I went there with my coach at that time and many other teammates turned family. For me, it was so fun to play matches every day, to win multiple titles and to do it all while having fun.

Outside of tennis, what other passions or hobbies do you have?

Outside of tennis, I love reading, watching Korean series, trying new restaurants and dressing up. I repeat, I love dressing up!

How do you like to relax and unwind after a tough match or training session?

Most times I like to watch historical Korean series, they are very lighthearted and they just help me feel a bit normal because when you spend a lot of time playing tennis, you do a lot of things outside the court that are still related to tennis and that can be tiring. I also like to try new restaurants with my friends which means dressing up and eating which are two things that bring me happiness.

Any chance to dress up sha

Yes o.

Love that. What’s a typical day in your life? You know, what you’d from morning till night

7:00 – I do my skincare routine and grab a bar (I’m not a morning person and don’t eat an actual breakfast.) 7:30 – I start walking to the courts. 7:45 – In the locker room, I change, stretch and get ready for the session. 8:00 until 11:00 – I play tennis and do some strength and conditioning training. 11:00 – 12:00 – Sometimes I have extra sessions with my coach for about 30 minutes and then spend 30 minutes for recovery in the training room. Other times, I just do recovery directly after the official practice session. My afternoons are flexible due to my classes, which have varying timings. I eat lunch right after recovery and proceed with my day. Sometimes, I also do a one-hour unofficial practice session in the afternoon. After my classes, I cook dinner or buy dinner and spend the evening doing homework or watching Korean series.

What’s that unconventional thought you have about the world?

As humans, we always want to enjoy the good times. Some of us forget that the not-so-good times are actually a part of our life experiences. “Regression to the mean” is the unconventional thought I keep in mind and it just means that no matter how extremely right or extremely wrong something is (life, relationship, tennis, friendships), it would always come back to the midpoint slowly but surely. As human beings, we just fail to see it when it happens because we don’t practice the act of gratitude enough. So I tell myself that things will always even out, no matter how good or bad it gets, there will be a balance at some point (the middle). This has truly helped me prepare, accept and work through every situation I find myself in.

That’s a nice way to observe life

Thank you.

One crazy thing you’d do if the world weren’t watching you?

Give unsolicited advice to people on the internet. I am a natural listener so I am always drawn to people who just want to talk and I always just want to help out. I guess that’s why I majored in psychology.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Stylish, kind and bubbly.

One thing in your everyday life that brings you joy?

Tennis! As crazy as it sounds, sometimes playing tennis heals wounds that aren’t even related to tennis and serves as a form of therapy for me.

Thank you for being on Doing Life With…, Barakat

Thank you for having me, BellaNaija.

Many thanks to Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre for having this conversation with us and answering all our questions.

Do you love this content, have any feedback for us or want to be a BellaNaija Features contributor? We’d love to read from you. Shoot us an email: [email protected]. Join us on Saturday for the next episode!